* Astronomy

On June 8, 1741 - a time when the origin of meteorites was not yet understood - four meteorites with a total known weight of 14 kg fell on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu. Their plunge through Earth's atmosphere was reportedly accompanied by loud, thunder-like sounds. Thought to have fallen from the loom of the goddess Shokujo, the meteorites were collected and preserved for worship in a family temple, where they became part of an annual re-offering to Shokujo over the centuries. In 1883, the British Museum of Natural History was able to obtain 4kg, the largest of the four meteorites and the partial slice.

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